The Magick of Matter: Crystals, Chaos and the Wizardry of Physics
by Felix Flicker
This is a book about wizardry. It will reveal the secrets of the wizard’s art, and how you, too, can learn to follow them. It is a history of magic.
Condensed matter physics is what happens when atoms cluster together to make something of a size we can understand – something like a car, say, rather than a galaxy. It’s what makes things hover in mid-air (magnetic levitation) or crystals glow (thermoluminescence). It’s also what we mean by magick.
Join Felix Flicker on an empirical adventure in condensed matter physics, the scientific mechanism behind the mysteries of alchemy, transmogrification, and much more. This is the one-stop guide on how to harness the enigmatic workings of the natural world to become a thoroughly modern wizard.
From the laws of thermodynamics to the seven bridges of Konigsberg, THE MAGICK OF MATTER is a journey of discovery which will upend everything you think you know about witchcraft, wizardry, and condensed matter physics.
'Felix Flicker brilliantly reveals the secrets behind the modern-day magic we call physics. A beautifully crafted book to inspire the next generation of scientific wizards and to help the current generation to understand the bizarre universe we inhabit.' - Marcus du Sautoy, author of THINKING BETTER
'Playful, profound and penetrating: an exhilarating gallop through the mystical world of matter.' - Charles Foster, author of BEING A HUMAN
'THE MAGICK OF MATTER is a fascinating, enlightening, and altogether delightful book. Once you fall under its spell, you will find it hard to put it down.' - Fritjof Capra, author of THE TAO OF PHYSICS
'A must-read for anyone wanting to understand how the spells of physics have transformed our world. Felix Flicker not only sees the magic in the ordinary but can explain the extraordinariness of magic too.' - Femi Fadugba, author of THE UPPER WORLD
"Imaginative" - Andrew Robinson, Nature Portfolio
"The theoretical physicist and martial arts expert has written a new book that uses magic and wizardry as a portal to engage people with the important but overlooked field of condensed matter." - Killian Fox, The Observer
“Whimsical…the bounty of helpful analogies ensures that readers are unlikely to find a more accessible primer on condensed particle physics.” - Publishers Weekly
"An award-winning Oxford physicist draws on classic sci-fi, fantasy fiction, and everyday phenomena to explain and celebrate the magical properties of the world around us." - Daily Kos